INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING Administration Building, Suite 136 355 N. Lansing Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-2896 317-274-7711 Fax: 317-274-5457

ONE PHRASE CAPTURES NEW IUPUI CENTER FOR YOUNG CHILDREN: TOP NOTCH

INDIANAPOLIS - IUPUI will dedicated its new facilities for the campus' youngest students during a special ceremony October 2.

The Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Center for Young Children, an accredited child care center, has moved into a new building at 321 North Limestone St.

IUPUI faculty, staff and guests attended the dedication of the 30,000 square-foot-center that includes administrative offices, indoor and outdoor parks, and classrooms with entrances designed like neighborhood houses. The center will accommodate up to 242 children, nearly five times as many children as the previous center.

"This is IUPUI history in the making," Director Beth Jeglum said prior to the event. "We have always had a good program with a great set of teachers and classroom assistants. Now we have the facility to match the quality of the teaching staff. The two together make our program unique and offer young children the best early childhood and educational foundation."

IUPUI Chancellor Gerald L. Bepko and IU President Myles Brand delivered short talks in honor of the opening of the 14-classroom center, the largest single-campus child care facility in the Indiana University system.

Serving the children of IUPUI faculty, students and staff, the state-licensed campus child care center is one of 25 Indianapolis centers accredited as of August by a division of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the nation's largest organization of early childhood educators.

Based on studies, NAEYC-accredited centers provide better quality services for children and families as predicted by better trained staff, age-appropriate activities, child-centered surroundings, sensitive teaching staff, strong staff communication, better relations with parents, and better health and safety provisions.

As a state-licensed facility, the IUPUI child care center must also meet numerous state regulations.

The center provides care for ages 2 through kindergarten, and has added a new part-time program offering parents the opportunity to schedule part-time care around their class or work schedules. Full-time teachers have undergraduate degrees, and many of the classroom assistants are education majors.

"All of our teachers are top-notch," Jeglum said. "For example, pre-kindergarten teacher Linda Kaser was named one of the top 10 preschool teachers in America by "Child" magazine in 1996. Having well-trained teachers, small classes, and low adult to child ratios are the key to our success."

For information about the center, call (317) 274-3508.

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